Food Q & A

November 02, 1999

Do microwaved foods lose heat faster than oven-cooked foods?

No, says Sam Barnhart, senior service technician at Spicher's Appliances in Hagerstown. Microwaves heat foods from the center to the outside, using the friction of sound waves, he says. Many cooking instruction booklets actually call for microwaved foods to be left sitting at room temperature for a short time before being eaten because they're too hot, he says.

The one drawback of microwaves is their inability to brown foods like ovens can. However, Barnhart says a new - and expensive - microwave is coming out soon that promises to brown foods just as well as ovens but in less time.